Archos GranitePhone Is $850 Take On Enterprise-Grade Android Security

If you go out of your way to protect your privacy with everything you do, you undoubtedly know how complicated it can be while mobile. Most phone makers simply don't put much of an emphasis on user privacy, usually sticking to the bare minimum, or in other words, what's generally expected. Some others, however, go the extra mile.

A notable example from the past two years has been the Blackphone, a smartphone that promised great security protection right out of the box. While that phone's enhanced security came mostly from software, we saw Boeingput an interesting spin on a privacy smartphone later: a self-destruct feature. Given how cool that'd be, it's a bit of a shame that Boeing's focus isn't for regular consumers, but instead governments.

Well, with so few options like these on the market, privacy advocates should be thrilled to learn of a new option from Archos. Its GranitePhone is the result of a partnership with private communications specialists Sikur, and at a cost of $849, it definitely has a specific audience in mind.

The official product page touts the fact that all popular forms of communication will be encrypted on this phone, thanks to Sikur's platform. That includes voice calls and messages, and even contacts. The name GranitePhone does well to highlight its hardened security, but it also relates to the OS used, Granite OS, which is built on Android.

Archos says that user data on the device is kept in encrypted form in the cloud, and that it can be accessed anywhere - even from Android and iOS devices.

In way of tech specs, this is a 5-inch device that packs Qualcomm's Snapdragon 615 under the hood. It comes equipped with 2GB of memory and 16GB storage. At the back is a 16 megapixel camera, while the front has a rather impressive 8 megapixel camera. Interestingly, screen resolution isn't listed, but we'd assume that it'd be 1080p, given the cost of the device.

If you want a GranitePhone, you can head over to the link below and order one right now.